New regulations put future of drone business up in the air

Greg Hatt, manager of the Maritime Hobbies and Crafts on Grafton St in Halifax, with a Indoor House Racer Micro-Drone by Dromida.

Although he already owns five drones, Orangeville, Ont. resident Joseph Lopez was eyeing yet another of these unmanned aircraft just last week.

Then, federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau slapped new restrictions on the use of recreational drones.

And suddenly, the prospect of shelling out another $1,600 for a drone seemed a lot less appealing to Lopez. He has put that purchase on hold.

“If you go onto any of the hobby boards, people are talking about giving up and getting out of flying drones altogether,” Lopez said in an interview Monday.

Under the new regulations, which came into effect ​last week​, users of recreational drones weighing more than 250 grams — about 1.5 times the weight of a hockey puck — could be fined up to $3,000 for flying too close to buildings, structures, vehicles, vessels, animals and members of the public, including bystanders, spectators or any other pers​on​ no​t​ associated with the flying of those drones.

At Maritime Hobbies & Crafts on Halifax’s Grafton Street, manager Greg Hatt isn’t particularly worried. These ​new regulations ​don’t apply to most of his customers, who buy small drones ​that ​start at about $40 and go up to about $269.

“Most of the little drones I sell are under 250 grams . . . and will fit in the palm of your hand,” he said in an interview Monday. “They don’t have a GPS. It’s just you and the drone.”

But at Dartmouth’s Dr. Drone store, which sells both commercial and recreational drones, a spokeswoman was more tight-lipped Monday, declin​ing​ to comment about the potential impact of the new regulations on the business’ sales. At Best Buy, which also sells recreational drones, a spokeswoman would only say Monday the company encourages drone users to obey the law. ​

Many recreational users who fly drones that are subject to the new regulations are upset. A common refrain on social media is that these regulations are far too broad and can, if taken literally, prevent these hobbyists from flying their aircraft almost anywhere.

“They should just make it like the rules for the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States,” said Lopez. “(Transport Canada is) making it very restrictive.”

On YouTube, Lopez goes by the nickname of “losttourist” and has produced a video entitled New Rules: Drone Industry Crashes and Burns. In that video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxhccqo66e8, he claims Transport Canada has “clipped our wings. And more is yet to come.”

The new regulations also stipulate that recreational drone users must put their names, addresses and telephone numbers on their aircraft. They cannot fly within a controlled or restricted airspace, interfere with police or first responders, fly at night or in clouds, or go higher than 90 metres above the ground.

“Most drones can go above 90 metres and it kinda sucks,” said a YouTuber nicknamed ItsMePhil in a video entitled Screw The New Drone Rules| Rant at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qyft1SYxB_w.​

R​ecreational drone users​ are also now​ prohibited from flying​ these aircraft within nine kilometres of a forest fire or an airport, heliport, seaplane base or other aerodrome.

​Given the number of helipads across Canada, that too has some ​drone users chaffing.

“That’s going to kill a lot of things,” said Hatt. “It’s pretty much going to make (the bigger drones) unsaleable, unless you live in the middle of nowhere.”

But even as the shock of these new regulations ripples through the recreational drone community, there are those calling for calm.

A YouTuber who goes by the nickname of Captain Drone admits in his video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8khhg5jU5BY that the new regulations, while strict, will probably not kill the recreational drone industry.

He, however, takes issue with the vague wording of the regulations.

“What about the restriction of staying 250 feet away from animals? I’m guessing that the person who wrote that has not been out of their office in a very long time — because, if you live in Canada, everywhere you look, there (are)​animals in the air or on the ground,” he says in that video.

But Jordi Morgan, Atlantic Canadian vice-president for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said Monday the regulations will most likely be enforced with a fair dose of common sense.

“They​'’re just looking for a framework for ​the ​responsible operation of drones,” he said.

In some cases, Transport Canada or the officer on scene will speak to the operator and educate them about the rules. However, should a recreational drone operator be found to be flying their device too close to an airport, in a flight path, or over a group of bystanders, “more serious enforcement actions and fines will be considered," she said.​